Planting Napkin Sprouted Melon Seedlings

As with all things I'm too timid to do when I'm not quite sure what I'm doing I procrastinate.  My melon seedlings (I have no idea what kind of melons they are, all I know is that I got these very sweet juicy melons at the Korean market).  I saved the seeds and wrapped them up in a moist paper towel which I kept moist every day and sprouted these beautiful melon seedlings.

Taking a look at how long the melon seedlings were today I didn't think I could put off planting them any longer... so I planted them.  I wasn't really sure what I was doing, all I know is that they need very nutrient filled soil, lots of watering and that they are sun loving.  So, armed with three key things to keep in mind I gave them a spot in the garden.  Each seedling received their own 1ft diameter planter filled with draining fertile soil.

I filled up the pots, watered the soil down, made a hole, planted them in and watered again.

A rather funny and interesting but non-the-less easy-fix situation occurred while I was planting my second melon seedling.  I realized that the seedling's roots had grown through the paper towel!  Imagine that!  You know that one saying "nature always finds a way"?  Yes, it does- by the looks of the above picture.  It would have been to difficult for me to remove the roots out of the napkin without harming it (roots are very fragile!) so instead I planted the seedling with the little piece of napkin around the root, I figure if the melon root was able to grow through the napkin it surely wouldn't do any harm to leave it on there, besides, maybe they've got emotionally attached to each other with all this time they've spent together and who am I to separate their special bond?

I sure do hope they like their new home and adjust accordingly.  Hopefully the melons won't get too lonely, I made sure to put them next to each other for comfort and companionship, now they can talk amongst themselves about how awful I was to keep them under wraps indoors all this time.

Read previous post on Sprouting Fresh Seeds In A Paper Towel

Sprouting Fresh Seeds In A Paper Towel

I always believed that in order to plant seeds one had to dry them first, not sure where this belief stems from, maybe because all the seeds in the packet are dry.  Boy was I wrong!  You can actually begin sprouting seeds in a wet paper towel!  And it's soooo easy too!

I gave it my first try with the seeds of a melon fruit.  I saved a couple of seeds and folded it into a wet paper towel, I kept it nice and moist everyday, and slowly but surely the seed sprouted (it only about a week and half)!  Now all I have to do is plant them sprouting root side down into the dirt or a container, so simple, and a great way to save.  Now that I know it works I'm trying to get a couple of cherry pits and peach pit to sprout too (we'll see if it works for pits as well!)  

So if you happen upon a fruit that is absolutely delicious try this method and grow your own.